Comment Oprah Winfrey on Thursday endorsed John Fetterman (D) in the hotly contested Senate race in Pennsylvania, rejecting Mehmet Oz, the Republican candidate for the same seat she helped make famous. “If I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already voted for John Fetterman, for many reasons,” Winfrey, a longtime Democrat, said during a mock town hall meeting. The TV icon also said Pennsylvania isn’t “the only race that matters” and endorsed other Democrats running in next week’s midterm elections, including Beto O’Rourke in Texas and Raphael G. Warnock and Stacey Abrams in Agriculture. Fetterman’s campaign welcomed the gesture. “It speaks volumes that Oprah would endorse Fetterman over Oz after she refused to weigh in during Oz’s primary,” his campaign team said in a press release. Winfrey was speaking at a Zoom event hosted by the Oprah Winfrey Network focused on encouraging voters — particularly young and black women — to vote. Her comments in support of Fetterman come days before a crucial Pennsylvania election, one of several tight battleground races that could determine which party controls the Senate after the midterm elections. Polling averages show at least seven Senate races within the margin of error, the Washington Post reported last week. Obama Fights In Phoenix, Criticizes Toxic Politics: ‘Everybody’s Screaming’ Fetterman and Oz clashed in a debate last month, but Fetterman took a stand, showing signs of the stroke he suffered in May. He drew alarm from those worried he may not be able to carry out the duties of his office if he wins the race and applause from those who praised his bravery in revealing the audio processing challenges he still faces. Winfrey’s endorsement of Fetterman serves as a rebuke to Oz, whose previous television career helped launch and grow. Oz, a doctor, hosted a show on the Discovery Channel in the early 2000s called “Second Opinion with Dr. Oz”. Winfrey appeared on that show as a guest. Oz later appeared on Winfrey’s popular talk show, gaining national fame afterward more than 60 appearances. In 2009, he continued to host “The Dr. Oz Show,” which was co-produced by Winfrey’s company, Harpo Productions. As a celebrity doctor, Oz provided a platform for potentially dangerous products and fringe opinions, The Post reported, including a weight-loss approach that was outright disproved by the Food and Drug Administration. In Winfrey’s remarks Thursday, she urged Voters should “use discrimination and choose wisely to preserve our country’s democracy,” according to her spokeswoman. Oz’s campaign team could not immediately be reached late Thursday, but a spokeswoman told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Oz “loves Oprah and respects the fact that they have different politics. He believes we need more balance and less extremism in Washington.”
